WELCOME TO CHATEAU DU MER BEACH RESORT

If this is your first time in my site, welcome! Chateau Du Mer is a beach resort with a beach house and conference Hall. The beach house could now accommodate 10 guests, six in the main floor and four in the first floor( air conditioned room). In addition, you can now reserve your vacation dates ahead and pay the rental fees via PayPal. I hope to see you soon in Marinduque- Home of the Morions and Heart of the Philippines. The photo above was taken during our first Garden Wedding ceremony at The Chateau Du Mer Gardens. You can now read the national and international news in this blog at the right side bar. I have also posted my favorite Filipino and American dishes and recipes in this site. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own, but I have no intention on the infringement of your copyrights!

Marinduque Mainland from Tres Reyes Islands

View of Marinduque Mainland from Tres Reyes Islands-Click on photo to link to Marinduque Awaits You

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Marinduque versus Guimaras for Retirement in the Philippines

Marinduque-My Island Paradise and Heaven on Earth

Five years prior to my retirement from FDA, my wife (Macrine) and I had to make a decision where in the Philippines, we will build our retirement home, since we have decided to live the snow bird lifestyle in our retirement years. If you have been following my blogs, you know what a snow bird lifestyle is. However, if this is your first time, allow me to explain what the term “snow bird” meant. It is a lifestyle involving the best of the EAST and WEST, both culturally and weather-wise. That is, when it gets cold here in Northern California ( after Thanksgiving), Macrine and I flies to the Philippines where the weather is perfect, cool, and dry with very low humidity. When it start to get hot and humid in the Philippines ( Easter Season), around mid-April, we fly back to Northern California when it is the start of spring and perfect weather. So far we had done this annually since 2002. Thank you Lord!

There are hundreds of places in the Philippines, where one could build a retirement home on the beach. Macrine and I had narrowed it down to two islands, Marinduque or Guimaras Island near Iloilo. Building a beach house had always been my dream and goal in life.

Marinduque is Macrine, province of birth. She finished high school at the local catholic school for girls in Boac, the capital town of Marinduque. Iloilo on the other hand is my province of birth. I finished at the local high school in the town of Barotac Viejo, about 60 Km north of Iloilo City. Macrine's parents had several beach front lots along the western coast of Marinduque at Barrios Laylay and Amoingon.

My father has a beach front lot in the island of Guimaras in the town of Buenavista. After several months of discussing the pros and cons between Marinduque or Guimaras, Macrine convinced me that Marinduque is our Island Paradise instead of Guimaras Island for the following reasons.

2.The location, area and physical set-up of the beach front lots. In Marinduque, the beach front lot is about 5 acres, and also along the national road. There is a creek running in the property that flows to the ocean inhabited by fish and crabs. The lot has several full grown shade and fruit trees and more than 100 banana and coconut trees.

On the other hand my father's lot in Guimaras is small and I had never seen it. In addition, the title of the lot was still not in my name. The lot is also isolated and far from the national road. Another factor against Guimaras is that the island was still under developed( poor roads), although there was a plan to build a bridge between Guimaras and the mainland in Iloilo City at that time.

3.Social Support System: Macrine has lots of closed relatives in Boac. I have relatives in Guimaras but I have never meet them. Most of my closed relatives are in the mainland in Jaro.

4.Last, but not least, I feel in love with Marinduque, its hospitable residents, its culture ( putong, Kalutang and Moriones Festival) and its delicious food ( ginat-an na manok, Kare-kare and ulang-ulang).

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ABOUT ME

I am a retired (Chemistry Team Leader from USFDA) Filipino-American who loves writing, gardening and photography. My wife (of 58 years) and I enjoy our snowbird lifestyle between the US and the Philippines. We have a small but very private beach resort (above video) in the beautiful island of Marinduque, Philippines. I have several blog sites(ten), a personal blog, blogs about Marinduque and our beach resort and conference center-CHATEAU DU MER. I also write for www.squidoo.com now owned by Hubpages.com

Sunset from CDM Beach Resort

Click on Photo to link to Marinduque Blog

Recent Photos of Orchids in the Gardens of Chateau Du Mer

A dark Yellow Vanda
A dark pink Vanda
A Small light yellow Phaelonopsis
A reddish Vanda
A pinkish-white Vanda
Another favorite Vanda
My twin blue Princess Mikasa
One of My Favorite Vanda
The above photos are some of the orchids blooming in the gardens of Chateau Du Mer from January to April, 2011. I hope you like them as much as I do! I have a dozen more plants that are blooming, but it will just be too boring to publish them all in this blog. Your comments will be appreciated.

Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort

Beach House, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

Blue Orchid - Chateau Du Mer

Princess Mikasa-My Favorite Variety

Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort Logo

Chateau Du Mer Logo-Click Photo to link to Life in US

Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort

Beach House and Bridge

Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center

Conference Center and Multi-Purpose Hall

Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort

Beach House Balcony at Night

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Coral Reefs of Amoingon Coast

Click Photo for Link/Details

Disclaimer: Most of the photos and videos included in this blog are not owned by me unless stated. If you are the owner of the photo/video and you would like to be credited, please let me know and I will pay proper attribution after careful verification of your identity and of your 'claimed' image/s. The photos/videos used in this blog are results of myGoogle and other Internet searches. Thank you and if you enjoy this blog, help support it by clicking on the ads.

Orchid in Front of Main House-Chateau Du Mer-click on photo to link to Marinduque Awaits You